MIT Press Open Access

The MIT Press has been a leader in open access book publishing for two decades, beginning in 1995 with the publication of William Mitchell's City of Bits, which appeared simultaneously in print and in a dynamic, open web edition. We support a variety of open access funding models for select books, including monographs, trade books, and textbooks.

The MIT Press is a leading publisher of books and journals at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts. MIT Press books and journals are known for their intellectual daring, scholarly standards, and distinctive design.

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Indigo

Powell's

Waterstones

This innovative and groundbreaking volume is replete with remarkable ideas from leading multidisciplinary thinkers on how the science of early childhood development can facilitate the important and daunting quest for the promotion of a peaceful global citizenry.

Dante Cicchetti

William Harris Professor of Child Development and Psychiatry, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

Overview

Author(s)

Praise

Summary

Experts investigate the role of child development in promoting a culture of peace, reporting on research in biology, neuroscience, genetics, and psychology.

Can more peaceful childhoods promote a culture of peace? Increasing evidence from a broad range of disciplines shows that how we raise our children affects the propensity for conflict and the potential for peace within a given community. In this book, experts from a range of disciplines examine the biological and social underpinnings of child development and the importance of strengthening families to build harmonious and equitable relations across generations. They explore the relevance to the pursuit of peace in the world, highlight directions for future research, and propose novel approaches to translate knowledge into concrete action.

The contributors describe findings from research in biology, neuroscience, evolution, genetics, and psychology. They report empirical evidence on children living in violent conditions, resilience in youth, and successful interventions. Their contributions show that the creation of sustainable partnerships with government agencies, community leaders, policy makers, funders, and service providers is a key ingredient for success. Taken together, they suggest possible novel approaches to translate knowledge into concrete action.

Hardcover

Share

Editors

James F. Leckman

James F. Leckman is the Neison Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychology, and Pediatrics at Yale University. Catherine Painter-Brick is Professor of Anthropology, Health, and Global Affairs at Yale University.

Catherine Panter-Brick

Catherine Panter-Brick is Professor of Anthropology, Health, and Global Affairs at Yale University.

Rima Salah

Endorsements

This innovative and groundbreaking volume is replete with remarkable ideas from leading multidisciplinary thinkers on how the science of early childhood development can facilitate the important and daunting quest for the promotion of a peaceful global citizenry.

Dante Cicchetti

William Harris Professor of Child Development and Psychiatry, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

Beginning in utero and throughout childhood, the human brain responds to its environment, reshaping neural connections in line with social experience. But war and other traumas that threaten security distort these processes. Today, with more children than ever before growing up in conflict zones, the implications extend far beyond the suffering of individuals to encompass the rearing environments of future generations and the societies they will compose. In this authoritative, integrative, first-of-its-kind compilation, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, anthropologists, economists, and experts on child development from around the world explore child-rearing environments and policies most likely to mitigate trauma, promote emotional regulation and sensitivity to others, and encourage the formation of positive social relationships.

Sarah B. Hrdy

author of Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding

In this thoughtful collection of essays top scholars across diverse fields—from child development to neuroscience and cultural anthropology—join to shed new light on the question that has baffled humans since the dawn of civilization: how to make the world a place of peace and collaboration and reduce aggression and violence. Their answer intriguingly suggests that peace begins at home and is rooted in the infant's earliest experiences. Society that strives for peace must attend to its infants, help develop healthy brains, and support parents in carrying this difficult task. A courageous book integrating science and humanity!

Ruth Feldman

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Bar-Ilan University and Yale University